High altitude training is and has been used for decades, especially for improving athletic performance. After the Olympic Games in Mexico in 1968, where athletes were exposed to a higher altitude, the researchers examined why it was here that athletes gave very good performances. They found out that the reason was the high altitude. Since then, many teams and individual athletes use the technique of training at high altitude as part of their entire preparation.
Exposing humans to reduced levels of oxygen (hypoxia) is a real challenge for the human body because oxygen is the primary source of energy for cells in the human body. In a hypoxic state, the body tries to produce the desired amount of energy with a smaller quantity of oxygen than that is currently available. To make this possible, there is a protein working in the human body called Hypoxia Inducible Factor (HIF-1), which causes a wide range of reactions aimed at improving the body's ability to use oxygen.
There are three main training methods that are associated with hypoxic program - sleeping in a hypoxic environment, exercise in a hypoxic environment, and hypoxic therapy (IHT).
Science demonstrated that during hypoxic training the following physiological reactions in the human body take place:
- Increased efficiency of pulmonary oxygen uptake
- Increased production of the hormone erythropoietin (EPO) by the kidneys. This hormone stimulates the production of red blood cells and improves the transport of oxygen throughout the body
- Improved function of veins for better oxygen delivery to tissues, muscles, and brain
- Increased production and overall rejuvenation of mitochondria that produce aerobic energy and mitochondrial enzymes. These components facilitate more efficient use of oxygen for energy production and superior enzymatic antioxidant defence of the body
Other advantages of hypoxic training include:
Reduction of average heart rate and blood pressure
Increased production and release of human growth hormone
Stimulation of fat burning
- Reduction of pollution of the body by free radicals (reactive oxygen species "ROS")
IHT - univerzální klíč k dlouhověkosti
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